Harry L. Cooper VFW Post 160 Firefighter of the Year Award

On March 11, 2025, U.S. Army Sergent Wade Fitzpatrick received the Harry L. Cooper VFW Post 160 Firefighter of the Year award for 2024.

Wade joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) in June 2022.

Wade had been an Emergency Medical Technician with the volunteer fire department in
his hometown of Dix Hills, New York prior to joining the Army in 2021. Due to his prior
fire service experience, he quickly blended into the organization.

Wade completed the training requirements to transfer his EMT certification to Maryland,
took other required courses such as Hazardous Materials Awareness, and was cleared
as an Ambulance Technician in February 2023. He also pursued the process to become
an ambulance driver. He took the Emergency Vehicle Operators Course in March 2023
and was cleared as an ambulance driver in October 2023.

Realizing that he could still do more to help the company and the community, he
completed Firefighter I in December 2023 and Hazardous Materials Operations in
March 2024 and was cleared to ride the fire engines soon after. Since joining just 17
months ago, Firefighter Fitzpatrick has worked 91 shifts totaling 1099 hours and
responded on 331 fire and ambulance calls. Firefighter Fitzpatrick typically pulls a 24-
hour shift on Saturdays. He rides as a firefighter or drives the ambulance, whatever is
required based on the available personnel. Wade is also now taking the Firefighter II
course to advance his skills even more.

Wade enjoys helping other EMTs and firefighters get trained and cleared, as well as
mentoring new ambulance drivers with their clearance process. He was recently recognized as the Outstanding Member of the Third Quarter of 2024 by the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association.